Door locking mechanism for freight containers



Feb. 2, 1937.

B. F. FITCH DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM FOR FREIGHT CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 6, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.

Era. I '3 B. F. FIT-CH Feb. 2, 1937.

DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM FOR FREIGHT CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 6, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented F ch. 2, 1937 oNiTEo STATES PATENT QFFWE Benjamin F. Fitch, Greenwich, Conn., assignor to Motor Terminals Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application January 6, 1934, Serial No. 705,529

10 Claims.

A system of handling package freight by means of demountable bodies which may be carried on highway trucks and lifted intact with their loads to railway cars for intermediate rail transportation, and thereafter transferred at the distant end to trucks for ultimate delivery, has many advantages, reducing the cost of shipping from consignor to consignee, reducing the time involved, and reducing the loss due to pilferage or breakage.

In a system of this kind it is important that the container doors make a close connection with the door jams to prevent access of water or snow to the interior of the body. As the door openings should be as Wide as practicable to allow convenient loading and unloading, two doors for each opening, each hinged to the body at the outer edge constitute the preferable means for closing the opening. Such double doors should be ef- 29 fectively closed at their meeting edges, and as there may be considerable impact of the contents against the doors, particularly the end doors, during transit, it is important that the doors be braced against outward distortion.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide means whereby a hinged door, while adapted to swing freely Whenever desired, may make a tight connection with the door jamb when the door is closed. I effect this by mechanism to 30 raise the door at the hinged edge thereof after it has swung into the region of the jamb, and I so arrange the'top and bottom of the door and the cooperating portions of the jamb that when the door is thus raised it will make a tight con- 5 nection both at the top and bottom. Moreover,

I provide a removable upright post or bar overlapping the free edges of the closed doors, to close the gap and effectively brace the doors, and I form the lower portion of such brace bar with 40 an inward projection which is adapted to extend under the doors at their meeting edges and prevent the doors sagging or being lowered.

It results from the door raising mechanism at the hinge and the brace at the opposite edge of 45 the door, that the door when raised is effectively supported at its two side edges. It results further that the brace may not be applied until the doors are not only shut but raised, and hence, there is no danger of inadvertently shipping the container 50 without the doors being tightly raised, since the last act of closing the container is to apply the race bar to the doors and secure it in place.

While my means for locking the door acts to support it adjacent each edge, so there is no 55 tendency to sag or institute strains in the door or on the door jamb, nevertheless if the raising mechanism at the hinged edge should be inadvertently operated into lowering positon when the brace bar is in place, the projection of the brace bar beneath the free edge of the door will 5 maintain the door in its elevated position.

My invention is hereinafter more fully described in connection with an illustrative embodiment shown in the drawings, and the essential novel features are set out in the claims. 10

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a demountable body having side doors embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is an end View of such body showing end doors embodying the invention; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary ele- 5 vation intermediately broken away, of the construction at the hinges of either the side or end door; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through one of the doors when tightly closed, as indicated, for instance, by the section-line 44 on Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a similar vertical section showing the door when shut but before it has been raised into tightly closed position, being a vertical section along the line 5-5 in Fig. 6; Fig. 6 is an elevation similar to Fig. 3 but showing the door in its lowered, though unopened, position; Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through a pair of coacting doors and one of the supporting portions of the body adjacent the hinge, as indicated by the line 'l! on Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but showing the brace bar detached and the doors partially open; Fig. 9 is a vertical section through one of the doors adjacent its free edge and looking toward the side of the applied brace bar; Fig.

10 is a similar view showing such parts with the brace bar being removed and the door lowered; Fig. 11 is a detail of the brace bar bolts, as indicated by the line lll| on Fig. 10.

In Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown a demountable body having a floor frame If], side walls H, nar- 4o row end walls l2, and a roof [3. Each side is provided with a pair of lift hooks I l, extending above the eaves and suitably braced by extension straps and inclined braces secured to the body sides, as indicated at I5.

Each side of the body is provided with a central doorway between the region of the lift members, adapted to be closed by a pair of hinged doors 20. Likewise, each end is provided with a doorway which is only slightly smaller than the transverse internal dimension of the container, and this doorway has a similar pair of hinged doors 2B.

The floor frame ID of the body comprises end and longitudinal sills and suitable internal bracing. An end sill is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in the form of a channel 30. A lower layer of flooring 3i rests on this end sill. The bottom member of the door jamb in the form of a Z-bar 4!] is secured to the channel 30 and extends across the edge of the planking layer 3|, and then inwardly at 4| on top of that layer, then upwardly at 42 along the edge of a surmounting layer of planking 32. The extreme edge of this door jamb member is bent downwardly as shown at 43, for a purpose hereinafter described.

Over the end doorway is a metal sheet l6, which forms a portion of the end wall, lying in the same plane with the narrow vertical portions l2. This top end wall near its lower edge'carries'the upper door jamb, which is shown'as a'bent piece of metal embracing the lower edge of the sheet I6 and providing a downwardly facing door seat. This bent piece has a portion 50 on the outer side of the plate i3 and is then doubled back on itself around the lower end of the plate Hi to provide a portion 5! bearing against the inner face of the plate It. Then there is a horizontally extending. portion 52, and finally a downwardly extending flange 53. This inwardly extending portion of the jamb is shown as braced by an angle bar 55, engaging the inner surface of the sheet I6 and the top of the jamb portion 52. On the outer side of the body in this locality is a reinforcing member 51 in the form of a horizontal Z-bar having a downward flange 53 and an upward flange '59. The parts described are all riveted together and constitute a very stiff brace for the lower end of the end wall it, extending from side to side of the body above the wide door opening.

The end walls [2 of the body heretofore referred to comprise outer sheets which are connected to the sides I I by vertical corner angle bars "3. The end sheets l2 are also braced by inner sheets 60. Figs. 7 and 8, which at their outer ends are secured to the body sides II and near their inner ends bend inwardly at 62 and are finally flanged at 63 into the plane of the sheet l2. Then I add a sheet 35, which is riveted to the outer side of the sheet 12 at its inner edge, and passes over the flange 33, and is then doubled back onto the rear face of that flange and finally lies alongside of the portion 32 of the plate 60', as :shown at 66. This additional plate 65 and plate '60 are preferably weldedor otherwise secured together.

It will be seen that the construction just described makes a firm vertical endwall for the body at either side of the door opening, and likewise, by reason of the flange 63 and the doubled over portion 65, provides a door jamb having a lip extending across the door opening. The hinge axis of the door is beyond the plane of the door and in front of this lip so that the door when closed is adapted to seat in the recess behind the lip. It will be observed that the complete door jamb provides one form of seat at the two vertical sides of the doorway, a different form of seat at the bottom, and a still different format the top. The door is so formed and mounted that it may coact with these special seats as about to be described.

Each door panel 20 is bounded at its extreme edge by a reinforcing member 10 in the form of a channel embracing the edge of the door. This reinforcing member has a flange ll projecting from it at right angles to "the door. When the door is closed, the face 12 of the reinforcing member engages the inner face of the door jamb member 65, while the projecting flange 'l'l comes into contact with the rounded portion of the member 65, where it is doubled on itself.

The construction described makes a tight connection at the hinged vertical edge of the door when the same is shut. There is, however, clearance at the top and bottom of the door. The doorraising mechanism of this invention may now come into play to raise the door and efiect a tight connection at the top and bottom, as follows:

The hinges proper comprise a bracket 83 having a vertical socket 81 secured to the door jamb, and bracket 82 securedto the door panel and having a downwardly extending pin 83 loosely occupying the socket. These features are the only characteristics of the upper and lower hinges, but

at the middle hinge, loosely surrounding the pin between the socket and the bracket where it engages the pin is a lever 85, which has its undersurface formed into an arcuate crown cam 83, adapted to coact with an oppositely directed crown cam surface 87 on the socket member of the hinge.

When the door is in its lowered position, as indicated in Fig. 6, the complementary surfaces of the hinge socket and lever nest together and the lever arm extends alongside of the body Wall and the door is free to swing, its middle bracket 82 having its under horizontal surface at the top of the exposed pin sliding circumferentially on the horizontal top surface of the lever. Now when the door has been shut into the jamb, if the lever is then given a movement of substantially its cam 83 acts on the cam 81 of the hinge socket to raise the lever and door into the position illustrated in Fig. 3. In this position the lever comes.

beneath the cross web 88 of the door bracket and .may be locked thereto by a pin 89 passing through registering openings in the web and lever, as indicated in Fig. 3.

On the outer face of the door near the top is secured a horizontal rod 90, which forms a head or molding. Along the bottom of the door is a flat strip 9!, which projects inwardly from the door and then is bent diagonally upwardly. When the door is shut and raised as shown in Fig. 3, the head 9! makes a snug engagement with the doubled over edge of the top reinforcing member 53, while the inclined projection of the plate 9| makes a substantially close connection with the down-turned flange 43 of the base door jamb. Accordingly, access of water is prevented either at the top or bottom of the door. As the same time the side edges of the door are behind the vertical lips 65 with the vertical flange 1| engaging the edge of such lip.

It will be aparent from the description before given that when either door is closed it makes a tight connection with the jamb at the top and bottom and hinged edge. To prevent access of water at the free meeting edges of the doors, as well as to brace and support them and insure their being locked, I provide a locking post overlapping the two doors and engaging keepers at its upper and lower end, as indicated in Figs. 7 and 8.

Briefly, the locking post may be made of a pair 9 of projecting tongues I08. When the post is in place, these tongues project behind the body flange 58 and the bolts I05 may extend downwardly into a keeper I09, secured to the floorframe. A seal wire passed through one of the handles and one of the post flanges prevents surruptitious raising of a. lowered bolt.

The free edge of the door is embraced by a channel-shaped boundary member 74, similar to the member 70, heretofore described, and having a flange l5 projecting onthe outer face of the door. When the doors are closed, as shown in Fig. 7, the inward flanges of the post I extend between the doors, while the lateral flanges IUI seat against the two boundary members 14 between the flanges thereof, and thus a weathertight connection is made over the meeting edges of the doors.

It will be seen from Figs. 9 and 10 that the locking post is provided with a projection III! on its inner face adjacent the bottom, which has an inclined top, this projection being made by the web of the bar and top flanges which may be a continuation of the inner flanges ill of the post. Now these wedge projections extend under the doors adjacent their free edge and efiectively support such edges so that the door cannot sag or lose its tight connection with the jamb either at the top or bottom.

The locking post not only makes an effective batten strip for the doors, resulting in a weathertight connection at the meeting edges; an effective brace, preventing outward bulging, and an effective support for the doors at free edges, but it insures the doors being elevated into snug position before the container is shipped. That is to say, on account of the projection H0 the post cannot be put in place until the doors are elevated by the hinge levers, and hence the possibility of shipping the container with the doors lowered is overcome, as the last act in dispatching the container is to position the locking post and bolt it in place and apply the bolt seal.

I claim:

1. In a container having a doorway, and a door hinged to the container in a manner to enable it to have a sliding movement along the hinge axis, the combination of leverage mechanism adapted to be operated from the exterior of the door to raise the door from a normal lower position into an elevated position when it is closed, and a bead on the outer side of the door near the top adapted to come into engagement with a portion of the container when the door is closed.

2. In a container having a door hinged to close an opening therein, and having pin and socket coupled hinge brackets supporting the door, one of the brackets having a cammed or inclined surface, the combination of a lever pivoted on the pin and having a cammed or inclined surface adapted to coact with the said bracket surface in the closed position of the door to vertically move the door and efiect a tight joint at one horizontal edge of the door, said lever and one of the brackets having mutually superposed parts and apertures therein which register when the lever has been operated to vertically shift the door, whereby the lever and bracket may be pinned or sealed together in said position of the lever.

3. The combination of a container, a door hinged thereto and slidable along the hinge axis, means for raising the door when closed, a brace bar adapted to act on the free edge of the door to hold it closed, said brace bar having a projection adapted to extend under the free edge and support the door at that edge.

4. The combination of a container, a door therefor, hinge mechanism connecting the door and container and comprising a socket on one of them and a pin freely occupying the socket on the other, and a lever embracing the pin and having a cam engagement with the hinge, so that the operation of the lever may raise the door, and a brace bar adapted to brace the free edge of the door and having a projection to extend beneath it and support the free edge of the door, thus relieving the strain on said camming lever.

5. The combination of a container having a doorway, a pair of doors hinged to the container adjacent the opposite side edge of the doorway, said doors being adapted to move vertically when closed to make a tight connection at the top of the door, and a removable locking post adapted to extend vertically across the free edges of the two doors to make a tight connection in that region, said post having projections engaged beneath the raised doors adjacent their free edges to prevent the lowering of the doors so long as the post is in place.

6. The combination of a container having a doorway with a projecting flange at the vertical edges, a pair of doors hinged to the container in such manner that when the doors are closed the hinged edges will project behind said flanges and make a, snug connection therewith, said doors being hinged in such manner that they are capable of vertical movement, means for moving the doors vertically when closed to effect a tight connection at the top and bottom, and a removable locking post adapted to overlap the free edges of the two doors and make a tight connection in that region, whereby the connection is tight for the entire boundary of the two doors, said post having projections engaged beneath the raised doors adjacent their free edges to prevent the lowering of the doors so long as the post is in place.

'7. The combination of a container, a door hinged thereto by slidable hinges, mechanism adapted to raise a closed door to make a tight connection, a vertical brace bar for the door having a projection at its lower end adapted to extend beneath the door, said projection having an inclined top whereby it may act to slightly raise the door to insure a tight engagement when the projection is inserted beneath it and thus relieve the supporting strain on said raising mechanism.

8. The combination of a container having a doorway, a pair of doors hinged to opposite sides of the doorway by slidable hinges, a vertical looking post adapted to overlap the meeting edges of the doors, keepers for the post at the top and bottom of the doorway, a bolt for locking the post, inward projections on the post adapted to extend beneath the raised doors, cam mechanism at the respective hinge axes of the doors for raising the doors when closed, and means on the top and bottom of the door for making a tight connection of the container when the doors are raised.

9. In a demountable body having a door hinged thereto by hinges capable of sliding along their axis while remaining engaged, the combination of means for moving the door in its own plane when closed, and a brace bar for the door having a projection adapted to enter the space resulting from such movement of the door, whereby the reverse action of the moving mechanism will not of itself free the door.

10. In a freight container having a doorway, and a door hinged :to the container in a mannen to enable it to have :a certain vertical movement,

when closed, the combination of leverage mechanism adapted to raise the door, a projecting plate, at the bottom of the door having an upwardly di- BENJAMIN F. FITCH. 

